Farmer's Wife, redux

As those of you who read along here regularly know, I am stuck on this project.

Partly, this is because I have been short of time, which is fine - that happens.

Partly, it's because I am second guessing myself, which is less fine.

I had originally intended to try to avoid being too organised, and making all the blocks match, and worrying about them going together, etc...

So I had decided to just take fabrics from my stash, which I liked and work with them with a neutral background, like a true scrap sampler quilt.

But to be honest, I don't really like it like that! I do like most of the individual blocks, but not the whole effect.

So, after a lot of thought, I've decided that I am going to scrap these blocks and start again, but making the blocks coordinated in some way.

I intend tomorrow to have good look through my collection of larger pieces of fabric to see if there's anything there which would work well as a feature fabric, and it's possible I will find something.

Otherwise, I might combine this project with my intention to clear out some of my batik stash - batiks do tend to all go together, so it would work in terms of colour and style.

I could either use a black background (predictable, but effective), or I could keep using the unbleached cotton background I have been using so far (which would also work). Or, I suppose, white or white on white.

Maybe I'll show some options here tomorrow and ask for opinions!

I did also consider using some of my Japanese taupes for the project - and I might end up doing that. I think they would look really good with these blocks, but I wonder if I should focus on using up something I'd like to get out of my stash instead.

Then again, I wouldn't want to second guess myself again halfway through the remake and end up starting a third time!

One thing I think I might do this time around is what Julie is doing with her FWSQ - instead of working through the book in order (or doing all the easy ones first) she printed out all the numbers and is drawing them out of a hat (probably not literally a hat) to determine what order to make them in. This would be a fun way of doing the project, and also, would mean I wouldn't (probably) have to make the same 14 blocks first that I did the first time around.

Anyway. As they say, watch this space!